Golf club having integrally formed face and sole plate with weight means

ABSTRACT

A golf club whose head is provided with a bracket having sole and face plates formed integral with each other and positioned against respective bottom sole and front face surfaces of the head, and wherein one or the other of the plates carries at least one inwardly projecting elongate tube which is embedded in the head, with weight means removably and adjustably secured in the tube.

United States Patent Glover [54] GOLF CLUB HAVING INTEGRALLY FORMED FACEAND SOLE PLATE WITH WEIGHT MEANS [72] Inventor: Cecil C. Glover, P.O.Box 12705,

Charlotte, NC. 28212 [22] Filed: Feb. 18, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 116,460

[52] US. Cl. ..273/80.7, 273/171, 273/172 [51] Int. Cl. ..A63b 53/04,A63b 53/02 [58] Field of Search ..273/77 R, 80.1-80.8, 273/ 167-174 [56]References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,750,194 6/1956 Clark ..273/1713,582,081 6/1971 Caplan ..273/171 3,212,783 10/1965 Bradley et a1..273/173 1,517,476 12/1924 Tyler ..273/174 X 1,213,382 l/1917 Kent..273/174 X 1,567,248 12/1925 Dahlman ..273/173 X 1,518,316 12/ 1924Ellingham ..273/171 1,133,129 3/1915 Govan ..273/171 1,509,429 9/1924l-lillerich ..-.273/172 [451 Sept. 19, 1972 2/1933 Lamb ..273/80.7 X

Primary Examiner-Richard C. Pinkham Assistant Examiner-Richard J. ApleyAttorney-Parrott, Bell, Seltzer, Park & Gibson [57] ABSTRACT A golf clubwhose head is provided with a bracket having sole and face plates formedintegral with each other and positioned against respective bottom soleand front face surfaces of the head, and wherein one or the other of theplates carries at least one inwardly projecting elongate tube which isembedded in the head, with weight means removably and adjustably securedin the tube.

5 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEDSEHQM 3.692.306

SHEET 1 [IF 2 PATENTE'DSEP 19 I972 SHEET 2 BF 2 3,6923% GOLF CLUB HAVINGINTEGRALLY FORMED FACE AND SOLE PLATE WITH WEIGHT MEANS It is desirableto provide golf clubs, especially those known as woods, with means forvarying the swing weight and/or balance of the clubs to suit theindividual golfer. Even after a golfer has used a woods-type club forsome considerable time, the golfer may desire to change the swing weightand/or the balance of the club. In many instances, it is desirable alsoto provide a reinforced striking face on a golf club head, in additionto the usual sole plate, as an aid to increasing the distance that agolf ball may be driven by the golf club and to protect the body of thehead from damage by abrasive earth, pebbles and the like encounteredduring use of the golf club. Various prior art types of weight adjustingmeans have been proposed heretofore for golf club heads of thewoods-type, but to my knowledge none of such prior art types of weightadjusting means have been so devised as to provide reinforcing or metalsurfaces in combination therewith for both the sole portion and thestriking face of a woods-type golf club.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a woods-type golfclub head with an angle bracket secured thereto which includes both soleand face plates integral with each other and engaging the respectivesole and face surfaces of the head, with at least one elongate tubecarried by and projecting inwardly from one of the plates and embeddedin the head, and weight means removably secured in the tube.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear as thedescription proceeds when taken in connection with the followingdrawings, in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a golf club headembodying one form of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the golf club headtaken substantially along line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the golf club head looking at theright-hand side of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partially exploded perspective view of the first form of theangle bracket removed from'the golf club head;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but embodying a second form of theinvention;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially alongline 6-6 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of the club head looking at the right-handside of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a partially exploded perspective view of the second form ofangle bracket removed from the club head.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, a first embodiment of thegolf club is shown in FIGS. 1-4 and comprises a woods-type golf clubhead 10 preferably molded from a suitable synthetic plastic materialsuch as fiber glass or a fiber impregnated plastic 50' as to effectivelyaccommodate an angle bracket 11 as will be later described. I-Iowever,club head 10 may be formed from wood or other suitable materialadaptable to accommodate angle bracket 11, if desired without departingfrom the invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, golf club head 10 comprises a body 12having an elongate hosel or leg 13integral therewith and extendingupwardly therefrom for receiving therein a lower portion of aconventional shaft 14 whose upper portion is broken away and tiallyvertically or substantially at a right angle with respect to the bottomsole surface 15, although it is well known that the striking face of awoods-type golf club head extends at a steep slightly acute angle withrespect to the bottom sole surface, such angle being varied inaccordance with the number of the golf club.

In order to provide means for varying the swing weight and/or balance ofthe golf club and also to provide wear resistant or reinforcing surfaceson those portions of club head 10 which are most susceptible to becomingworn or damaged when the club is being used, the angle bracket 11 isprovided and comprises a sole plate 20 and a face plate or strikingplate 21 integral with each other and extending in substantiallyright-angular relationship so as to engage the respective sole and facesurfaces 15, 16 of club head body 12.

Angle bracket 11 preferably is molded from metal,

such as brass or aluminum alloy, and the sole plate 20 thereof, or atleast the outer surface thereof, is preferably of substantially convexconfiguration to conform to the usual configuration of the sole surfaceof a golf club head of the woods type. Preferably, the sole and faceplates 20, 21 are of substantially lesser width than the'distancebetween the heel and the toe of body 12, with the bottom sole and facesurfaces l5, 16 of head body 12 being suitably recessed to accommodatesole plate 20 and face plate 21 so that the outer surfaces of the soleplate and the face plate may be substantially flush with the adjacentareas of the bottom sole and side face surfaces 15, 16 of the head body12.

To facilitate obtaining the desired swing weight and/or balance of thegolf club, the angle bracket 11, in the first embodiment of theinvention, has at least one elongate tube carried by and projectingupwardly or inwardly from sole plate 20 for accommodating removable andadjustable weight means therein. As shown, sole plate 20 has two spacedapart, upwardly extending, elongate tubes 20a, 20b formed integraltherewith. Tubes 20a, 201 may be positioned as desired with respect tosole plate 20. As shown, tubes 20a, 20b are positioned about halfwaybetween the opposing side edge of sole plate 20, with the tube 20a beingpositioned adjacent the toe of the club head 12 and the tube 20b beingpositioned adjacent the heel of the club head 10. The outer peripheralsurfaces of tubes 20a, 20b may be roughened, knurled, or provided withsmall annular ridges 20c therearound, as shown, to aid in securing themin respective cavities 22 formed in body 12 of club head 10. In thisinstance, cavities 22 may be formed by molding the plastic material ofwhich body 12 is made around the tubes 20a, 20b so that the tubes 22 arefirmly embedded in head body 12.

The lower or outer end of each tube 20a, 20b defines an opening in theouter or lower surface of sole plate 20, which opening is coextensivewith a longitudinal passage defined by the tubular configuration of eachtube 20a, 20b. To facilitate the adjustable disposition of weight meansin each tube 20a, 20b, each tube is threaded internally for adjustablyreceiving therein one or more externally threaded weight plugs 23, twoof which are shown for each tube 20a, 20b in FIGS. 2 and 4. Each weightplug 23 is of substantially lesser length than the respective tube so asto be adjustably positioned in the tubes and also so that a closurescrew 24 may be threaded intothe outer end of each tube for thus closingthe opening defined thereby. It is preferred, as shown in FIG. 2, thatthe outer end of each tube 20a, 20b is tapered or countersunk toaccommodate the frustoconical head of the respective screw 24 so thatthe outer surface of such frusto-conical head may be flush with theouter surface of sole plate 20. It is apparent that the outer end ofeach externally threaded weight plug 23 may be slotted or otherwiseprovided with means to accommodate a suitable implement, such asscrewdriver, for turning and thereby adjusting the position of each plug23 longitudinally of the tubes 200 or 20b. Also, the inner ends ofweight plugs 23 may be rounded or convex so that one plug 23 may betightened against the other plug 23 in'each tube 20a, 20b, as shown, forlocking the plugs in the desired adjusted positions. j

Tubes 20a, 20b may suffice to secure bracket 11 in the desired fixedrelationship to head body 12. However, it is preferred that at leastface plate 21 is fixedly secured to the face surface 16 of head body 12,as by means of a plurality of screws 25, two of which are shown in thisinstance, which penetrate face plate 21 and are threaded into head body12. Additionally, sole plate 20 may be secured to bottom sole surface 15of head body 12 by a plurality of spaced apart screws 26.

To provide a firm connection between golf club shaft 14 and anglebracket 11, the heel portion of sole plate 20 has an upwardly extendinghosel portion or projection 30 integral therewith and which also isembedded in head body 12. Projection 30 is provided with an angularlydisposed internally threaded'cavity 31 therein, which is open at itsupper end, for threadedly receiving the threaded lower end of shaft 14,thus securing'shaft 14 in fixed relation to bracket 1 1. Asheretoforestated, shaft 14 is positioned within the elongate hosel 13 of club headbody 12, and it may be additionally secured in fixed relation to clubhead body 12 by a suitable pin, rivet or the like, indicated at 33,which extendsthrough both the hosel l3 and the shaft 14 of the golfclub.

The second embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. -8 differs fromthe first embodiment in that at least one weight accommodating tube isprovided on the face plate only of the corresponding reinforcing anglebracket, instead of being provided on the sole plate as is the case withrespect to the first embodiment. Accordingly, those parts of the golfclub shown in FIGS. 5-8 which are similar to parts of the golf clubshown in FIGS. 1-4 will bear the same reference characters with theprime notation added, where ap plicable, in order to avoid repetitivedescription, and only the distinctive features of the second embodimentof the invention will be described in detail.

As is the case with respect to the first embodiment of the invention,the angle bracket 11' of the second embodiment has the upwardlyextending hosel portion or projection 30' on the heel portion of thesoleplate 20' thereof for securing the lower end of the shaft 14'thereto. However, sole plate 20' is devoid of any weight-accommodatingtubes, but instead, face plate 21' h a substantiall ce trall itioned inwrdl exten ng elongate ma e 3 integr erewith, which is provided with aninternally threaded passage whose axis extends substantiallyperpendicular with respect to the outer or striking face of face plate21. Tube 35 is adapted to threadedly receive one or more externallythreaded weight plugs 36, two of which are shown, and a closure screw 37of substantially the same form as those weight plugs 23 and closurescrews 24 described with respect to the first embodiment of theinvention. In fact, tube 35 is constructed and embedded in the body 12'of club head 10 in substantially the same manner as that described withrespect to the tubes a, 29b of FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 and, therefore, afurther detailed description of the second embodiment of the inventionas being unnecessary. It is to be noted, however, that although a singletube 35 is shown projecting inwardly from face plate 21' in FIGS. 6 and8, one or more additional tubes may be provided on the face plate 21, ifdesired, without departing from the invention.

I In the drawings and specification, there have been set forth preferredembodiments of the invention and, although specific terms are employed,they are used in a generic and descriptive sense, and not for purposesof limitation.

That which is claimed is:

1. A golf club having a head provided with a bottom sole surface and afront face surface extending at an angle relative to each other, a onepiece metal angle bracket secured to said head and including sole andfront face plates engaging the respective sole and front face surfacesof said head, at least one elongate internally threaded tube carried byand projecting inwardly from one of said plates substantiallyperpendicular thereto and being embedded in said head, externallythreaded weight means adjustably positioned within said tube, said tubehaving an internally outwardly tapered outer end portion communicatingwith the outer surface of said one of said plates, frustoconicallyheaded screws threadably received in the outer end portion of said tubefor closing the same, said tube having means along its length on theouter surface thereof for aiding in securing the tube firmly embedded inthe head, said head having an upwardly extending hosel thereon, a shafthaving a lower portion positioned in said hosel, an upwardly extendingprojection on and integral with the rear portion of said sole plate andembedded in said head, and said projection serving as a lower hoselportion and having a threaded cavity therein in which a threaded lowerend of said shaft is secured.

2. A structure according to claim 1, wherein said tube is integral withsaid face plate.

3. A structure according to claim 1, wherein said tube is integral withsaid sole plate.

4'. A structure according to claim 3, including an additional tubeprojecting upwardly from said sole plate and embedded in said head inspaced relation from said one tube.

5. A structure according to claim 1, wherein said angle bracket is madefrom an alloy metal, and wherein said head is made from a plasticmaterial.

1. A golf club having a head provided with a bottom sole surface and a front face surface extending at an angle relative to each other, a one piece metal angle bracket secured to said head and including sole and front face plates engaging the respective sole and front face surfaces of said head, at least one elongate internally threaded tube carried by and projecting inwardly from one of said plates substantially perpendicular thereto and being embedded in said head, externally threaded weight means adjustably positioned within said tube, said tube having an internally outwardly tapered outer end portion communicating with the outer surface of said one of said plates, frustoconically headed screws threadably received in the outer end portion of said tube for closing the same, said tube having means along its length on the outer surface thereof for aiding in securing the tube firmly embedded in the head, said head having an upwardly extending hosel thereon, a shaft having a lower portion positioned in said hosel, an upwardly extending projection on and integral with the rear portion of said sole plate and embedded in said head, and said projection serving as a lower hosel portion and having a threaded cavity therein in which a threaded lower end of said shaft is secured.
 2. A structure according to claim 1, wherein said tube is integral with said face plate.
 3. A structure according to claim 1, wherein said tube is integral with said sole plate.
 4. A structure according to claim 3, including an additional tube projecting upwardly from said sole plate and embedded in said head in spaced relation from said one tube.
 5. A structure according to claim 1, wherein said angle bracket is made from an alloy metal, and wherein said head is made from a plastic material. 